We are honoured that Lady MacMillan agreed to create the artwork for the actual award, which you see today, and we are also indebted to Richard Sherrington, the original sponsor of these awards We are also honoured that Dame Beryl Grey, DBE, agreed to become Patron of the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards following the death of Dame Alicia Markova in December 2004 It is only natural that dance critics should celebrate as well as evaluate the art form about which they write and the National Dance Awards aim to highlight the astonishing diversity of dance in Great Britain that adds beauty to all our lives No such endeavour can be undertaken without support and we would like to thank our sponsors, whose logo's appear here, and the many other people who make these awards a vibrant reality